A Different Take
by ArmySFC
Summary: Something different happens in the early lives of Chuck and Ellie. If one event can change a person's life, what might happen if two events happened to Chuck? Charah, this is T-plus or M-minus for language.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Here's another one for you. This is a work in progress and updates will be slow as I will be concentrating on Ellie's plan. This one will be different because I've sort of flipped Ellie and Chuck. The big difference here is I'm trying to keep the intersect in the story but not in the heads of anyone. It will be Charah eventually but please pay attention to the dates. I want to cover Chuck and Ellie's early years before 2007. The trouble for me is what happens after 2007. Another big thanks to Mojo01 for his beta work. It makes my scribble more readable. It was pointed out to me the distance between Stanford and Burbank was way to far for what I have written. I had the two colleges mixed up so i changed the city they grew up in. In the end does it really matter?

Prolog

When Chuck and Ellie were growing up they were fascinated by electronics. One day, while they were playing around the house, they stumbled into the room where their father kept his computer. Between the two of them they figured out how to turn it on and get things to pop up on the screen. One screen had a sentence that didn't make any sense to them. It started to ask them questions, so they turned it off.

This small exposure led to both of them deciding they wanted to do something computer related when they grew up. When Ellie was accepted to Stanford, she chose Electrical Engineering as her major. Chuck was planning to follow right behind her, until one particular day changed his mind. His scout troop was selling crafts at a flea market to raise money at a local high school. He heard the sound of glass breaking, then people screaming. He ran to the sound of the commotion and saw a man lying on the ground, blood pouring out of his arm. He used the first aid training he had learned to stem the flow of blood while telling someone to call for help. When the EMT's arrived and took over, the head EMT told Chuck his actions had probably saved the man's life. It was at that point Chuck decided saving lives was more important than writing programs for games. Ellie was proud of him for his decision, and backed him one hundred percent.

September 1996 – September 1997 Ellie's Freshman year (Ellie 18, Chuck 15)

After setting the room she would share with another girl for the next year, Ellie Bartowski looked out of her window for the first time, in awe of the campus of Stanford University. After she completed her freshman year, she would be allowed to live off campus. She managed to get a full academic scholarship and a partial room allowance. Grants and student loans would cover the rest. She was already looking for a job; she still had to support her brother, who was still in high school. Chuck was working part time at the local Buy More, making just over minimum wage. He was looking to get more hours but was limited by his age and child labor laws.

Ellie's roommate, Jane, was from Vermont and was going for Chemical Engineering. Jane entered her room for the first time and dropped the bag she was carrying, staring at Ellie. _What the hell is that?_ Ellie was wearing an over the bust corset dress with an attached floral print skirt that hung to her knees. Black print hose and knee high strapped platform boots completed her look. She had coal black hair, lips and nails. She had an eyebrow and lip piercing.

"Hello, I'm Ellie," she said holding out her hand. "I'm from Santa Clara, how about you?"

"Jane," she said, shaking Ellie's hand. "Vermont." _She seems nice enough despite her bizarre look._

Ellie helped Jane with the rest of her bags, once Jane's parents left they got to know each other.

"Jane," asked Ellie, "What made you choose Stanford over the Ivy League schools?"

"The cold weather, for starters," Jane answered. "I had to get away from there, if you know what I mean. I have to ask; do you always dress like that, or was it to shock me?"

"I dress like this all the time, so it wasn't for the shock factor. I don't try to fit in with what people expect, I dress like this because I like the style. I stayed close to home because I take care of my younger brother, Chuck. Our parents split on us years ago, so it's just the two of us. After this year I'm moving out to go back home with him."

"Think this over, then," added Jane, "If we get along I can move out with you, we can get a better place. I'm not sure I can handle this dorm living."

"Let's not get that far ahead of ourselves… we just met," said Ellie.

It turned out that Jane was right about living in the dorms. The constant parties that took place almost every night wore on the two girls. They spent almost all their free time in the library. On weekends they went to Ellie's house. The two girls did become close friends.

Just after the winter break, Ellie had an idea she decided was worth looking into. Ellie had watched her roommate ignore her parents' calls on more than one occasion. When she asked why, Jane said she could never tell who was calling her.

Ellie designed a way for cell phones to download and use ring tones and assign them to a certain contact. The idea was picked up by a Finnish company, who would make it available to the public in 1998. That earned Ellie her first big pay check. With the money she made she was able to pay the rent on the larger apartment for the next year, and take Chuck on a month long vacation during the Summer. Ellie had Chuck apply for a passport, knowing where she was taking him.

Jane did move in with them for the duration of their college education. The two girls were in the top ten of their respective classes.

Summer 1997

After Jane and Ellie cleaned out their room, Jane went back to Vermont for the summer, and Ellie sprang the news to Chuck.

"I have some great news, Chuck," Ellie said. "With the money I made on the app, I was able to pay the rent for the next year. Jane is going to pay her share monthly. When I get her check, I'll give it to you as spending money. Anything you make at work is yours to put away for something you want."

"That is great news Ellie. I can cut back my hours and enjoy the summer," said Chuck.

"I know you're going to enjoy the summer, because we're going away for a month."

"You're not kidding me are you?" Chuck asked, almost pleading with her.

"Not kidding, Chuck," was Ellie's response. "We're going to London for a week, then Paris. From there we hit Rome and finish off it in Crete." Chuck wasted no time in hugging the tar out of her.

"When do we leave? I have to tell my boss I won't be in for a month. This is… wow, I mean, I've always wanted to see Paris… but this…oh…wow. I can't describe how excited I am right now. Morgan's gonna flip when I tell him."

During their week in London, Ellie and Chuck hit the normal tourist attractions; Big Ben, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and spent one day at Wimbledon watching some of the opening week's matches. From there, it was on to Paris, where they had dinner at the Eiffel Tower. They spent two days visiting the Louvre. They just wandered around the last two days and spent a good bit of time watching the street artists work their magic. They enjoyed the food so much Ellie made sure to get some recipes to try at home.

Chuck was sure before they left he would like Paris the most, but when he was standing before the Colosseum in Rome, he was awestruck.

"I can't believe this is still standing after almost two thousand years," Chuck said. "It's incredible to see the work that went into it. Then when you consider what went on inside it during it's heyday, you realize how far we've come as people."

"Very true, Chuck," said Ellie. "My favorite is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. That's one crazy building. I set up a tour in the Vatican for tomorrow. The day after we head to Crete, where I don't plan on site seeing, just hanging out on the beaches."

"I like that idea, El. All the historical sites have been great, but it'll be nice to take it easy for a few days."

When they got to Crete, Ellie had reserved them a hotel near the beach. They enjoyed relaxing on the beach and people watching.

"Hey El?" asked Chuck.

"Yes."

"I know were both young, but I think we should start working out now, so we don't look like that couple over there in a few years," Chuck said while pointing at an overweight couple down the beach from them.

"I'll find us a gym when we get home. Now let me relax," Ellie said closing her eyes as she drifted off to sleep.

When they returned to the States, Chuck went back to work at the Buy More and Ellie went back to playing on the computer. She found a forum that talked about hacking and the Dark Web. This peaked her interest, so she started visiting a few hacker forums. She liked the challenge of getting into places she shouldn't be, and started working on a program she thought would help her do what she wanted. The more she went to the Dark Web, the more she learned. In one forum, she created a user name: Nightshade. Over the years, it would become a name that could both excite and scare you, depending on what she was after. It was a major thrill for her each time she learned something new.

September 1997 – Spring 1998 (Ellie's sophomore year. Ellie 19, Chuck 16)

Ellie's sophomore year went as expected, grade wise. She remained at the top of her class, as did Jane. With Ellie being an outgoing person by nature, she made lots of friends on campus, and was more than willing to help other students when they needed it. People who ignored her during her freshman year because they were put off by her looks, learned to put aside her appearance, and chatted with her whenever they could. Jane was reaping the benefits of being close friends with Ellie. Jane also confessed to Ellie that the main reason she left Vermont and came to Stanford was that she was a lesbian. Ellie took it in stride, and joined the Gay Straight Alliance on campus to show her support. Just before Thanksgiving, Jane let Ellie know she was dating Julia a girl from the alliance.

Chuck was doing equally well in school, in spite of his best friend Morgan. Morgan was constantly after Chuck to have all night gaming sessions on the Nintendo 64. Chuck's favorite game was Duck Hunt, along with Mario. Chuck knew he would have to have perfect grades if he wanted to get the full scholarship to Stanford like Ellie. He tried to tell Morgan he could only play for a few hours on Saturdays before work. Morgan didn't take the rejection well, and it caused a rift between them for a few months. Once he turned sixteen Chuck increased his hours at Buy More. He wanted to have as much money as he could when he went to college.

Thanksgiving came, and it was a festive occasion at the Bartowski residence. Jane invited Julia over for the holiday. Ellie and Chuck both accepted their relationship, and as a result, the couple enjoyed being able to relax and be themselves. Chuck asked Morgan, of course. Ellie tried some of the recipes she picked up in Paris, instead of the normal turkey meal. It was a huge hit with everyone there except Morgan, who didn't like the change. Before the argument could get heated, Chuck challenged Morgan to Duck Hunt and got him out of the room. The next day the ladies went shopping while Chuck worked. The weekend passed quickly, and soon they were back to school.

During the month of February, Ellie heard back from Nintendo that her idea for a game had been accepted. Her programming needed work, but for a reduced price they would fix it in-house; they mostly wanted the licensing for the game. Ellie agreed to an even lower amount if she got two percent of the profits. The game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, was released in 1998, and sold over seven million copies. Combined with the fifty thousand dollars in upfront money she received, Ellie had netted over a quarter of a million dollars. As soon as she signed the deal, she went to Raymond James Financial Advisors and set up an account. With their help, her finances were growing nicely.

She kept money out for their now annual summer trip. This year, Ellie asked Chuck where he'd like to go. He decided that he wanted to see Moscow, Barcelona, Germany and Denmark. Ellie planned out the entire trip for them, making a few changes here and there. When the school year ended, they had a few weeks off before their trip. Jane didn't go home as she had the previous year, because she wanted Julia stay with her in the apartment. Ellie was ok with it because she was going to be away with Chuck for most of the summer.

Summer 1998

With the extra money Ellie now had, she was able to get better hotels for them to stay in while they were away. The hotel she picked in Moscow was the Moscow Marriot Grand. It was close to many of the things they wanted to see, including Gorky Park.

"Ellie," began Chuck, "this place is better than anywhere we stayed before. Thanks again for this."

"Don't worry about it so much, Chuck. It's as much for me as it is you. We couldn't do much after dad split, and even before that, we never went anywhere. Now that we can, I plan to enjoy it," Ellie stated firmly. "Why do you want to see Gorky Park?"

"Ever since I heard the Scorpions, 'Winds of Change', I've wondered what was the big deal about it. Since we're in Moscow, I figured, why not?" Chuck answered with a grin.

"That's as good a reason as any," replied Ellie, laughing at her brother's reasoning. After they left the park, they went to visit Red Square. The siblings were both enthralled by the history of the square, some good… and some not so good. They would finish up their stay with a trip to Saint Basil's Cathedral, again marveling at the architecture. Chuck and Ellie were both now fans of historical buildings.

During their stay in Barcelona, they hit the beach for a few days. One place Ellie said they had to hit visit was the Gothic Quarter, because, as she explained it, "I'm Goth, so it's only natural." Even with the changes that happened over time, there were still a lot of buildings that dated back to Medieval times.

Once in Germany, they didn't just stay in one place. Ellie had arranged for them to stay in a different city or small town for each night, then move on. The Black Forest was a hit for the two of them. Ellie was really taken with the Neuschwanstein Castle, while Chuck preferred the Hohenzollern Castle. Both of them enjoyed the visit to the site of the Berlin Wall. They also decided to take in a club while they were in Munich. Even with the working out, Chuck still had two left feet when he danced. Ellie took this as an opportunity to teach him. From that night, they made it a point to go to at least one club in every city.

During the final leg of their trip, they didn't just visit Denmark: They spent time in Norway, Finland and Sweden. By the time they arrived back home they were exhausted. After Chuck went back to work, they resumed their trips to the beach to surf or just hang out on his days off. It was during this time Ellie made a big decision that would change her life. She had become good as a hacker, very good as a matter of fact. Not only was she learning in college, she was learning from the web. Very few people could out-hack her now, even on her worst day. While hacking was a talent, hers went beyond that. When she hacked you, she never left traces she had been there. As a result, she discovered something very disturbing, and after a quick bit of research into the NSA, she reached out to a Colonel Diane Beckman.

Colonel Beckman was sitting at her desk going over some files when a chat box appeared on her screen.

 _Colonel, please don't disconnect from the chat. I have information that is important for you to hear. NS._ Beckman, taken aback by the unexpected contact, thought about it for a second before typing back.

 _I can give you a few minutes before I shut this off, unless it's worth my time. CB_

 _Thank you. A lunatic calling himself Thor, is planning to set off a bomb in the Washington Monument, tomorrow at noon. He's pissed off about taxes or something. He's going to have a black backpack in his possession. The bombs in it. NS._

 _How do I know I can trust you? CB_

 _Ask your IT techs if they ever heard of Nightshade. Dean Summers your lead tech knows about my skills. He gave me your name. I'll contact you tomorrow at 1300. Please do not reveal who gave you this information. NS._ The chat box closed, leaving Beckman shocked. She got on the phone and called the IT department.

"IT services, how can I help you?"

"This is Colonel Beckman; I need to see Dean Summers in my office right away."

"I'll send him right up," came the answer. Beckman was shocked that the person even existed. A few minutes later the was a knock at her door. She looked up from her desk and saw a man in his mid-thirties standing there.

"It's Dean, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, come in and close the door then have a seat."

"Yes Ma'am." When he was seated Beckman began asking him questions.

"I need you to be honest with me. A lot of people's lives depend on the answers you give."

"I'll do my best Colonel."

"Have you ever heard of Nightshade?" asked Beckman. She noticed the shocked look on Deans' face when she mentioned the name.

"Yes Ma'am, there's a rumor on the internet about a hacker so good nobody can top them. They operate mostly on the Dark Web. They've made it their mission to take down bad guys any way they can. They sift through adds for weapon and drug sales and turn them in to the authorities."

"Any more rumors about this Nightshade?"

"They tend to collect the money the bad guys have then make it disappear, so even if they get off, they can't return to their previous occupation."

"Can they be trusted?"

"Colonel, if they gave you information on someone, you can bet your pension it's fact. I'm that sure of their skills."

"Thank you Dean, your free to leave." Beckman was on the phone as soon as Dean was out of her office. She called in her right hand man, John Casey.

"John, I need you in my office ASAP. I'll need you to assemble a team for a special mission that just came up. Tell no-one about it."

When Casey arrived Beckman explained everything that had gone on leaving out the name. The next day the chat box appeared again.

 _I heard on the news a bomber was apprehended earlier today. Thank you for listening to me. NS._

 _No, thank you. With the information you passed along I was able to save hundreds of people and millions of dollars in damages to a historic landmark. CB._

 _I'm glad to be of service. I will help you as long as I maintain my anonymity in this. Oh, and since the money they have is illegal, well…NS._

 _What we don't know about we can't look for. CB_

 _Nice doing business with you CB. NS._ The chat box closed again.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN** : Please keep in mind these are the early years in Chucks life. I have no desire to write about Chuck's high school life, and really what could I write about? Him playing games with Morgan? BTW I forgot to mention this fic will lean heavily towards Ellie. Chuck and Sarah get their air time later rest assured. Hope you enjoy! Big thanks to Mojo01 for the Beta work.

 _ **September 1998 – September 1999 – Ellie's Junior Year (Ellie 20, Chuck 17)**_

When school started up, Jane and Julia were still going strong. Ellie was still working on programs and games for Nintendo, and Chuck had increased his hours at Buy More. Ellie, Jane and Julia could be seen everywhere together when not in class.

Ellie's clothing was getting more and more exclusive. She was wearing more one off designs than off the rack clothes. She remained just as happy and bubbly as always. More and more people were coming to her for help, so she began charging them a modest fee of five dollars for each study session. Her professors noticed this, and made her a teaching assistant for a number of the classes she had already aced. During this period, Ellie decided to take a class offered by Professor Fleming on Subliminal Messaging because it sounded fun.

On the Web, her reputation was growing, which was fine by her. She was still getting better at her second profession - hacker. With all the people she was shutting down, her bank accounts were growing exponentially. Raymond James was thrilled to get as much work as she was generating for them. Ellie was funneling some of her less-than-honest earnings into her legitimate accounts, making them grow even faster. She sold another game to Nintendo, with the same deal as before.

She was still turning in people and organizations to Beckman. Beckman, for her part, was thrilled with how many crises they avoided because of Ellie's help. Beckman's own accomplishments didn't go unnoticed by the President, who nominated her for Brigadier General.

"Hey Ellie," asked Jane, one evening while the girls were sitting around the table, playing Uno. "I've always wondered why you chose the Goth style?"

"It took you this long to ask?" Ellie laughed. "I'm surprised it took you this long." Smiling, she continued "I don't really have a reason. I was always fascinated by the Victorian style of dress. I like dark colors as well. So it fit, I suppose."

"No other reason?"

"If you're asking if it was for attention, then no. I'm not one to conform to what people want or expect. I don't flaunt my ass like some of the girls on campus. I can wear a dress one day or a military style men's outfit the next, and it's all Goth in nature. It could be me protesting the sleazy outfits some girls wear, or the Lacoste polo shirts men wear. Some people see me as odd, but I don't care. Once they get to know me, they realize I'm no different than them."

"I did notice more people are coming up to you this year than last," added Julia.

"It's not only the style I like, it's also the literature. It's a genre of fiction that combines many of the elements I enjoy reading. Romance and dark elements are some. A good author combines them to produce mystery, suspense, terror, plus the supernatural. After all, who doesn't like a good vampire book or movie, and they both have Gothic themes. The things I don't wear are symbols religious in nature. The biggest reason I dress like this is because when I do, I feel like me."

"They're all good reasons if you ask me," said Jane. "You plan on buying a castle in a few years?"

"A castle, no, but if I keep doing well I have the plans for a Victorian style house I'd like to build."

"Now that sounds awesome. They're the houses with the round corners, like the castles in chess?"

Ellie chuckled. "Yes, but the correct name is turret. That and the wrap around porch."

"Now about the game, whose turn is it?" asked Julia.

Chuck was doing well for himself also. After the events at the school, and his decision to go into premed instead of engineering, he stopped playing games as often. This really pissed Morgan off, and he went into a tailspin. Chuck now spent his free time when not at work reading medical information from the internet. Frustrated with the slow internet speeds and the time it took to download images, he began to instead check out books from the library. The more he read about being a doctor and what it entailed, the more he wanted to become one. He hit the books even harder than before, knowing that college and then med school would require even more work. He wanted to be ready when the time came. The specialty he found most interesting was Orthopedics.

When the school year came to an end, Chuck graduated Valedictorian of his class. It was announced during the ceremony he had received a full scholarship to Stanford, where he would join Ellie in her senior year. During the weeks leading up to their vacation, Ellie told Chuck about her dealings with the NSA, as well as her hacking skills. Chuck was surprised, but supportive of his sister's actions, and extremely proud of her, as well.

Two weeks later, Ellie and Chuck were off on another vacation. This year, they decided to just go to one country, Australia. It had everything they needed; sunning, surfing and historic places. With them going during Australia's winter months, it would be hit or miss on the warmer temperatures. They didn't expect very cold temperatures, but the amount of time they could spend on the beach sunning would be less than if they went in the summer months. They started their vacation in Sydney, where their first stop was the world famous Sydney Opera house.

"You know, I like the old world buildings," said Ellie, "but the design of the opera house is very distinct."

"I know," said Chuck as they walked around the buildings grounds, "I've seen tons of pictures of it, they pale in comparison to seeing it in person."

"I bet when we see it tomorrow from the air, it will look even better. We'll get a good view of the entire city."

"The weather is supposed to be nice, getting to almost sixty."

"I bet your glad I told you to pack a light weight jacket."

"That I am, El," replied Chuck. They left the Opera House to visit some of the other artistic venues Sydney had to offer.

When their week in Sydney was finished, they went to Brisbane for a few days. After that, they went to Noosa, where they would spend two weeks surfing Noosa Point Break. The surfing lived up to the hype they read on the internet. On most days, they were able to catch a wave that provided them with rides of over six hundred feet. It was a completely different surfing experience than back in California.

Their next stop on their trip took them to Cairns where they learned to SCUBA dive. They were both amazed at how beautiful the fish were. The best dives they had were exploring the wreck of the SS Yongala. They saw very large sea turtles, and huge sea snakes. They spent two days diving there, in order to take it all in.

The final leg of their vacation was spent touring the Outback. They hired a guide so they could spend a few days hiking the Outback. Unlike their other vacations, this was the most relaxing one they'd enjoyed yet.

 _ **September 1999 – September 2000 – Ellie's Senior Year, Chuck's Freshman Year. (Ellie 21, Chuck 18)**_

Not much would change for Ellie this year. After three years, she was an old pro at starting a new year. Ellie helped the newly-arrived Chuck get settled in his room, then gave him a tour of the campus. She made it a point to show him where the closest gym was located, so he could continue his work outs. She introduced Chuck to a few of the football players she was tutoring, or had tutored, in the past. One of the players he met was Patrick, and they became friends over the next few months. With his height and build, Chuck looked a few years older than he was. Chuck was getting along well with everyone Ellie introduced him to.

Jane and Julia weren't around as much, because their classes were mostly on the other side of campus. Chuck and Ellie spent much of their time in the quad areas between their classes, and ate lunch together every day. With Chuck being a freshman, he was required to stay in the dorms, while Ellie could go home. After a few months, it was common place for people to assume they were a couple. This misconception suited them just fine. Chuck wanted to concentrate on his studies. He knew if he got wrapped up in the dating scene, it would lead to the party scene, and his grades would suffer.

Ellie had a close group of people she associated with, but didn't want to get into the dating pool either. The group Ellie, and now Chuck, hung with during the day was diverse in it's make up. Goth, punk, surfer, and skater made up a large part of it, but in reality it was a snapshot that reflected the diversity found on campus. The group proved in a small way that no matter what walk of life, beliefs, heritage or ethnic back ground you came from, they all got along. With her staying out of the dating pool, she could work on her hacking and programming while Chuck was at school. When he came home for a weekend, they would go out and have fun.

Sometime during Chuck's second month of school he was walking through the quad on his way to the gym, when he bumped into another student.

"Excuse me," said the unknown person, "I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm Bryce Larkin."

"No problem Bryce, it could happen to anybody. I'm Chuck Bartowski. I haven't seen you around before." said Chuck.

"It could be because I'm a business major, and most of my classes are across campus. I want to follow in my father's footsteps and become an accountant. I was heading to the gym to check it out. You?" asked Bryce. Bryce could tell by looking at Chuck he must be spending a significant amount of time in the gym.

Chuck smiled, and motioned across the quad. "I'm on my way there now if you want to walk with me. I'm in the premed program. I've been having fun so far."

Bryce nodded his head and fell in step with Chuck. "It must take a lot of work to keep up your grades. Too much work if you ask me," began Bryce. "I like to laze around and play video games during my free time. I'm partial to Zork. What do you do to relax?"

"Depends on where I'm at," Chuck explained. "When I'm here, I work out with some of my friends on the football team. On the weekends that I go home, I surf. I play a video game once in a while, but not too often. I need to keep my grades up if I want to get into the medical school they have here."

"You sure have a full plate. Tell you what," began Bryce, "Clear it with your girlfriend, and spend an afternoon with me playing Zork." Chuck rolled his eyes and chuckled at the girlfriend comment, but left it alone for the moment.

"I'll let her know I'm hanging out with you so she can head home," said Chuck.

"I can't have a car being a freshman, how do you plan to get home if she leaves you here?" Bryce asked.

"I live on campus as well, since I'm a freshman like you."

Bryce was taken aback finding out Chuck was the same age as him. "Hooking up with an older woman, nice."

"Ellie's my sister, Bryce. Everyone just thinks we're dating," said Chuck, laughing, and clarifying the situation for Bryce.

Even though Chuck got along well with Bryce, Chuck would only hang out with Bryce a few times. Bryce was more interested in playing games and chasing the girls on campus than studying. Bryce also wanted to party all the time. They would, however, remain casual friends.

By the end of the school year Ellie would graduate at the top of her class, as did both Jane and Julia. The couple announced, at the graduation party Ellie hosted at their apartment, that they were both offered jobs at Exxon and would be moving to Houston. They promised to keep in touch with Ellie.

Chucks year finished on a high note, leaving him more than ready for a vacation. This year, they would be hopping the islands of Hawaii. Chuck informed Ellie he enjoyed life on campus, so he would stay at school during the year until he graduated. Ellie was fine with him staying at school, so long as he agreed to come home every other weekend like he had been. She bought a new car, a Nissan Maxima, and she gave her old car to Chuck.

 _ **September 2000 – September 2001 – Chuck's Sophomore Year (Ellie 22, Chuck 19)**_

When Chuck returned to school for his sophomore year, he asked his friend Patrick, the football player, to help out with his training. Patrick was glad to help, and even got the team's nutrition coach to set him up with a plan to help him bulk up. Chuck was hitting the gym on a regular basis, and it was paying off in big ways. He could often be found in the gym, working out with various members of the football team.

Chuck was bulking up nicely, thanks to the help of Patrick and other members of the team. In turn, Chuck helped them with their classes or minor computer issues, if they needed it. Patrick told Chuck that if he kept up his hard work, Chuck had the potential to get very big. Chuck could only laugh at his comment.

Chuck was cruising along with his classes, keeping up his perfect grade point average and his work outs in the gym. When Ellie had to go away for business, he had extra time on his hands, so he spent most of it the gym. As Patrick had predicted, after a year of hard core training Chuck was nowhere near the size of a year ago. His muscles were well defined and large. It helped him trust in his work out, knowing Patrick was an all American linemen slated to go in the first round of the NFL draft. Chuck was now sporting the classic six pack abs and V shaped upper torso. He had taken up running as well, and was currently in the best shape of his life. He wanted to get involved in martial arts, but his schedule prohibited it. Patrick told him not to worry… since he had a good base built up he could just do maintenance workouts, which would maintain his build. He was then free to take the martial arts classes he desired.

Soon after graduation, Ellie started a small computer repair company. The demands of starting a new small business prevented them from going on a vacation that summer. The shop was located near their apartment, in the Buy More shopping center. Ellie was worried her Goth clothes would scare off potential customers, so she wore more conventional clothes at work. She knew the idiots working in the Nerd Herd weren't in her class, so she planned to steal the people who normally went there for help by offering lower prices and better service.

It was slow going at first, until she sold her program to Microsoft. As part of her deal, she got them to list her as an authorized Microsoft service representative. She couldn't believe the number of people who were relatively computer illiterate. One sweltering summer day, a good looking man about her age walked into her shop, carrying a laptop.

"I'm Ellie, how can I help you?"

"Devon. I loaded a new program on my computer, and now it won't even boot up. I'm a lawyer, and all my case files are on this computer. Microsoft said you could help me," he said, as he handed over the laptop.

Ellie tried to boot the computer and experienced the same result. She inserted a bootable disc, cycled the power, and the computer fired right up.

"Devon, this is going to take an hour or so to fix. There's a coffee shop across the lot if you want to grab one while you wait."

"Sounds good. Would you like one?" he asked.

"No thanks, I don't want to spill anything on your laptop."

Devon left the shop to get his coffee. Ellie got right to work and found the problem almost right away. It seemed Devon installed a program that was infected with a virus. Ellie used her own virus protection software to clear out the virus. Then, using her Windows disc, she did a repair on the operating system. When Devon got back, his laptop was up and running. He checked his files, and they were all there.

"What was wrong with it?" Devon asked.

"The program you loaded was infected with a virus. I recommend getting a virus protection program. I would also stay away from Warez sites in the future until you know what you're doing."

"Thanks Ellie." He looked at her, smiling. "When are you done today?"

"I close in half an hour, why?"

"I'd like to take you to dinner, if you're free."

Ellie smiled. "I'd like that. I just have to let my brother know I won't be home when he gets in."

"It's just you and your brother?"

"Yep, he's at Stanford, taking premed." Ellie put the last of her tools and software away. "I'm ready to close, so where did you have in mind?"

"I know a little Italian place not too far from here, if that's ok?"

"I like Italian, so it's fine by me. Can we walk there or should I follow you?"

"Following me might be for the best. I'll meet you in the lot."

This would be the first of many dates for the new couple. Devon was a little put off by her goth clothing, so she toned down her look when she was with him.

Ellie's alter ego, Nightshade was also busy. Days after the attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and the stopped attempt by the heroic passengers on Flight 93, Nightshade went into overdrive in ferreting out information on terror activities. Anyone she believed had ties to anyone connected to those acts, suddenly found themselves out of money and their names on any and every watch list. She was turning in names by the bucket load to Beckman. In turn, Beckman's name was growing within the intelligence community, thanks in no small part to Nightshade.

 _ **October 2001- September 2002 – Chucks Junior Year (Ellie 23, Chuck 20)**_

Ellie's company was growing at a decent rate. Devon worked at a small law firm in Santa Clara near where her shop was located. When Devon told the other lawyers in the firm how good she was, they signed her to a one-year contract for IT support. Other small businesses in the area began to use her company as well, so she hired a few people to help her out.

She was also still involved with Beckman.

Beckman had just returned from a briefing about the just-begin Operation Enduring Freedom, and immediately noticed that the chat box was open on her screen.

 _Hello General, congratulations on your promotion. NS_

 _Thank you. What do you have for me today? GB_

 _Hit these three grid co-ordinates with all you have. NS_

 _Thank you. GB_

 _Also, keep an eye on Roark Industries. He's stealing software from other people. Never a good sign in my world. Have a good day. NS._

Beckman reported the information right away. Two days later, in the dark of a moonless night, a large military operation took place: B-52s rained JDAM precision guided munitions directly into specific buildings, A-10 Warthogs strafed assembled vehicles, and Army AH-64 Apaches with night-vision equipment moved in, with 20mm cannon and Hellfire missiles targeting any attempting to slip away in the dark. Close on the heels of the helicopters came Army M1126 Stryker Combat Vehicles, each discharging nine combat troops, who combed the rubble for intelligence. When the dust cleared the operation was declared a success, and three Taliban strong holds were reduced to rubble.


	3. Chapter 3

_**February 2002**_

Chuck was making his normal bi-weekly trip to Ellie's house. Ellie had called him during the week asking him to come to her place for the weekend, saying she had some big news to share. Chuck was betting that Devon, his sister's live in boyfriend of the last year, asked her to marry him. So, he departed Stanford in good spirits as he made his way to her house.

Ellie had purchased the house just over a year ago when she made her first major software sale to Microsoft. She also developed a search engine that she offered to the companies that currently utilized search engines. The largest one paid well over two hundred million dollars for it, and any updates they would need. Since then she had sold several more games to various vendors, making her a wealthy woman at a very young age. Her current project was a firewall and virus protection software that was being looked at by Norton and others. The amount of her money now under the care of Raymond James was staggering. It made her one of their largest private customers. It was through them, and her extensive use of the Platinum card, that she got a special invitation to become an exclusive American Express Card holder, the Centurion Card.

When he pulled into her driveway, the first thing he noticed was Devon's car was missing from its normal spot. Chuck knew Devon should have been home at this hour, causing him to wonder what was going on. He knocked on the door and waited for Ellie to answer. When she did, he immediately noticed she had gone back to her pre-Devon, Gothic style. Ellie had taken to wearing loose fitting clothes that hid her figure because Devon was on the prudish side. Today, that was not the case.

She was wearing tight leather pants and knee high platform boots with stiletto heels. Seven one-inch straps with silver buckles went from her ankle to the top of the boots. The belt she chose had silver studs and skulls decorating it. For her top, she selected an over the bust leather corset with a flat finish. The defining piece of clothing was the black Victorian Gothic fashion tail jacket trench coat. It was made with, velvet, lace and chiffon. The front was completely open fastened only at the high ruffled neck by a cameo. The stone in the cameo was a deep red in color. The sleeves had matching ruffles, that started above the wrist and extended to the mid-point of her hand. The back of the jacket tapered down from the front to below the knees. The back had corset-style lacing from just below her shoulders to the top of her butt. She'd replaced her normal eyebrow and lip piercings with all black ones. On her left index finger, she had a ring that resembled a snake with a black stone for its head. On her right-hand ring finger was a skull and cross bones. Black eye shadow and lipstick finished off her look. She dyed her hair jet black, and it cascaded over her shoulders and down her back.

"A left over from Stanford, Ellie?" Chuck asked.

"Nope. I just had this one custom made last month. I have a few more on order. Dinner's ready, so come in and grab a seat at the table. We can talk over dinner."

Chuck went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer before heading to the dining room and taking his seat. She arrived at the table and took her seat across from him, and began serving the spaghetti and meatballs.

"So Ellie," began Chuck, "what's the big news?" _And thank God your back to dressing like Ellie, not some spinster._

"I actually have three things to tell you. First, Norton liked the new program I came up with, and paid me very handsomely for it."

"That's great Ellie, congratulations! You're kicking ass now. You have anything else in the pipeline?"

"A few things I'm dabbling with, but nothing concrete. Not that it matters now… with the last sale, plus the investments I've made, I can now buy a small country. I plan to take it easy for a while, and do some freelance work."

"So I should look for you on the cover of Fortune 500 anytime soon? You're young, loaded and beautiful, you have it all going on. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Chuck. I'm not sure loaded covers it, but it will do for now. Secondly, I'm looking at buying a beach house near Santa Cruz… nothing to extravagant mind you, but it must have a private beach and some land. I want a pool as well, but if I can't find one I like with a pool, I'll have one put in. There'll be a room with your name on it, of course."

"Thanks El, but are you sure you want to be spending that much money? This house cost a fortune already," Chuck stated.

"Loaded, Chuck, remember?" she asked with a laugh. "It's just the two of us. Both of us couldn't spend the money I have now. Plus, I get residuals each year based on the programs' sales. I sure as hell can't take it with me when I die. I want to enjoy it while I'm young and single. You want another beer?" she asked, getting up.

"You look awesome tonight by the way. I'm glad to have the old Ellie back. What do you mean single? What happened to Devon?"

"That was a good lead in to my third point. Now, I want you to be honest with me. If I wasn't your sister but your girlfriend and you saw me dressed like this, would you be able to keep your hands off me?"

"Honestly Ellie, if you weren't my sister I'd be all over you."

"That's what I'd hoped for from Devon, but no luck. He walked right by me and went to work out. What kind of man does that? He could have at least commented on my look first. That was last month, and I gave him the boot."

"That's kind of harsh isn't it El? Giving him the boot because he didn't sex you up a bit?"

"Oh there were other reasons as well. We started drifting apart when I made my first million. He wanted me to bankroll some crazy ass business scheme, and I said no." She paused to drink some of her beer. "There were other issues as well. A few months ago I decided I needed to take back my life. I'm sure you remember I dressed like this in high school and college? I was a free spirit that bucked what society expected of me. I enjoy dressing like this, not like the spinster look Devon approved of. He was boring as hell in bed, too. He never wanted to try anything different. We decided to split up and remain friends."

"I didn't know he was such a tool. I thought you seemed off these past few months. It must have been hard pretending to be something you're not. I know not being compatible in bed is a problem for a lot of people," Chuck stated.

"That's the doctor in you talking. The way you reacted is how I wanted him to react to me. It's flattering when a woman knows her boyfriend can't keep his eyes off her." They spent the rest of the night talking before heading to bed.

The next morning Ellie was already in the kitchen cooking when Chuck came down and walked in.

"I'd like to run something by you, if it's ok?" asked Chuck.

"I'm all ears, Chuck, as long as I can finish these pancakes while you talk," Ellie answered.

"I talked to my advisor at school about taking a full load of classes during the summer so I can graduate in January, instead of May. That way, I have a full seven months off before I start med school, assuming I get in. He said it shouldn't be a problem. I was so stunned yesterday when I saw you were back too normal, that I forgot to tell you I passed the MCAT's. I'm waiting to hear back from the medical schools I sent applications. He also said that it looks pretty good for me getting into med school right there at Stanford."

"Oh my God, Chuck," Ellie cried out as she engulfed him in a big hug. "Congratulations! That's the best news ever. We need to celebrate this in a big way. You finish eating while I go put something a little more presentable on before we head out." Ellie returned a few minutes later wearing one of her business suits. "We're taking your car, so let's go," she said grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

"Where are we going, El?" he asked.

"You need a car more fitting your new status, at school. That old thing you're driving has got to go. Since I have plenty of cash, I'm buying you a new one."

"Thanks Ellie," he said before giving her a hug. "What kind should I get?"

"That's up to you, Chuck. You're a young, well-built handsome guy, how about something that screams power?"

"I have an idea for you," he began, "since you have plenty money, can I get a hot car now and, when I get my Doctorate, you get me a luxury one?"

"Splendid idea Chuck. After you graduate we can get you the hot girl to go with the car! So what are you thinking of?"

"It's the last year for the Trans Am, so I'd like to get one of them if possible."

"There's a dealership around here, let's see what they have left." The dealer had three Trans Ams left in stock, two were coupe's and one was a convertible. He liked each of them, but when Ellie said it would be sexier to show off for a girl in a convertible, his mind was made up. Three hours later Chuck was driving home in his brand new fully loaded black Trans Am WS6 Convertible.

 _ **March 2002**_

Ellie finally found a beach house she liked, and bought it. Even though the house was only several years old, she was having them do extensive modifications to a few of the rooms. Ellie spent quite a bit of time shopping for herself and Chuck to increase their wardrobes. Chuck was a shy and reserved person at heart, and Ellie knew this. She also knew he was a fashion-challenged male who needed help. The graphic t-shirts he was fond of wearing needed to be replaced. He needed more modern and professional clothes, plus she had to order more outfits for herself.

Chuck was sitting at his deck studying when his laptop chimed, letting him know he had an incoming video call, "Hey El, what's going on?"

"Good news, I bought the beach house I was looking at, they knocked two percent off the asking price when I told them I wanted to settle ASAP. It will take a while for the pool and other renovations I'm having done to be completed."

"That's great El. I like your new hair," he said, noticing her jet black hair had a few red and blue streaks in it now.

"I'm glad you like it. It gives me an edgier look to go with my moniker, don't you think?"

"If you wanted to match your moniker it would have to be purple!" he said, chuckling. "I noticed in February your hair was getting longer than you normally wear it."

"I decided I'd let it grow out. How are your classes going?"

"Great. In another nine months I'll be off for a while."

"I can't wait." They chatted for a while before heading to bed.

While Chuck was at school, Ellie wasn't just sitting around, waiting. She was actively working as a freelance hacker for the NSA and FBI, helping the feds take down terrorist cells and criminals by cutting off their funding. Ellie was now among the best, if not the best, hacker in the world. Her moniker, Nightshade, was well known to both white and black hat hackers. If she got your money or identity, you'd never find out who took it, or where it went. If you were a member of the group she targeted, she'd get you. _What were they going to do_ , she reasoned, _call the feds?_

She originally contacted the NSA by hacking into their servers and contacting Diane Beckman, an up-and-comer in the intelligence community. Now she was informing Beckman she was done working for free. She would cut off the funding of these groups and it would only cost the Government twenty-five percent of what was in the accounts she shut down. Beckman refused, of course, mostly out of principle. Beckman had been working with Ellie for a few years now, and knew Ellie would never stop helping them.

Somebody in the NSA, not affiliated with Beckman, tried to track her down, but had no luck; in fact, they received stern warnings to back off, right before their computer crashed. Ellie contacted her again several weeks later saying the price went up to fifty percent, but the price was negotiable if they wanted her services over the long term. As a show of good faith Ellie gave Beckman the accounts of two organizations with known terrorist's ties to pass on to her bosses, just to prove she could do it.

When Beckman saw what the results would be, she immediately went to her bosses with the proposition Ellie sent her and the possible results. When the DC power brokers learned it wouldn't cost the government any of _their_ money, they agreed to the deal, at a reduced amount of thirty percent. Nightshade soon earned the position of protected white-hat hacker. Ellie didn't want to wait for the pool to be finished, so she moved about half of her stuff into the new house. Now that her business was practically running itself, she could work at home. Working at home had its perks; she could hack and crack all morning, then relax by the pool or on the beach to work on her tan, or surf.

 _ **April 2002**_

During their normal video chats about nothing, Ellie told Chuck her she moved half her stuff in, before she gave him the bad news.

"I have some bad news for you. I took a freelance hacker job for the NSA. They need me to go to Europe for a seven months. I should be back by the time you graduate."

"That's great, and it also sucks. Will we be able to stay in touch, or is it one of those hush-hush jobs?"

"Relax… I'll be able to keep in touch with you while I'm away."

 _ **April 2002 - December 2002**_

Ellie picked out a condo located near the center of Paris, in a large building. She kept her location from the NSA and INTERPOL, who she was working with. Neither agency cared what she did, as long as they got results.

She was able to make quite a few trips around Europe, and shop for the Gothic clothes she wanted. At the end of the seven months, Nightshade had stopped over three billion dollars from reaching the hands of terrorists. In addition to stopping the cash flow, she found a few individual terror plots, which were then stopped. In addition, she might have located a missing agent within the Alexi Volkoff organization. She passed that information on to Beckman, as well.

When December arrived, Chuck graduated summa cum laude, and had been accepted to the Medical School at Stanford. To celebrate, Ellie took Chuck on a round the world vacation. They visited many of the historic places around the world they had missed on their earlier trips. They also revisited favorite places they had visited before.


End file.
